November - Fletcher Moss
Fletcher Moss
1 William Street, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6RQ
The Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA winner for November is the Fletcher Moss at 1 William Street, Didsbury, M20 6RQ. Mike Wilson explains why this excellent wet-led pub won the award.
Cast your mind back to the halcyon days of the busy, 
traditional pub where good ale and conversation were available in equal measure, aided and abetted by attentive and sociable staff. Well you don't need to wallow in nostalgia any longer, because the Fletcher Moss delivers these welcome and popular qualities by the spadeful.
Cask is king here. Six or seven pumps dispense a comprehensive range of Hydes beers, kept in superb condition. Such is the popularity of the Fletcher Moss you need have no concern that, if you happen to catch the last pint out of the cask, its quality will be in any way inferior. Fast turnover will guarantee top quality. Most encouragingly, manager Martin Devlin reports that the student population is turning its back on national lagers in favour of cask-conditioned ale - an education worth leaving home for!
This thriving pub combines a traditional layout at the front along with an extended section at the back, opening into an attractive beer garden which helped to draw many new customers during the semi-lockdown when indoor drinking had been prohibited. Consequently, manager Martin reports a turnover that exceeds pre-Covid levels. As well as attracting new customers, the pub has retained its loyal band of locals as attested by Pete and Barry, stalwarts for many years, who could speak only in glowing terms about the pub and its staff.
This award is partly in memory of CAMRA member Stuart Ballantyne, who died in August and is fondly remembered here.
Join us on Thursday 25 November from 8pm and celebrate along with Martin, his staff and, of course, Pete and Barry.